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He glanced at her hand and then at her. She couldn’t tell if his eyes were warm or giving her a warning look. His mouth looked softer than she’d ever seen it. Kind of open in shock, honestly.
Myra yanked her hand back. She should be the one in shock. Normally, she’d help a male counterpart be comfortable around her and learn to treat her like an equal. Flirting and touching were not on the agenda.
He cleared his throat, focused on the traffic, and didn’t say anything. The interior of the Navigator felt tense.
She’d definitely overstepped and made things awkward.
“How bad is the stalking situation?” she asked to redirect. The famous people she’d worked with quite often had a lot of admirers that were borderline ‘stalking’ them. Usually no threat but definitely annoying. Sometimes the stalker pushed the envelope and bad situations developed.
“Bad. It’s not just a stalker; it’s the famed Star Stabber, or at least a really good copycat.”
“Seriously?”
He nodded.
The Star Stabber had killed five male celebrities in the past year—a country singer, two actors, a basketball player, and a comedian. The Star Stabber started with stalking—emails or notes inside the celebrity’s house or vehicles. Then he had murdered each of his victims in different spots—home, on vacation, on the beach, on a boat, and in the private room of a restaurant, leaving a note claiming responsibility every time. He, or she, was singularly impressive and making the police and FBI scramble for answers and leads.
“The Star Stabber. That’s huge.” She regarded him. “Why didn’t you lead with that?”
“I should’ve.” His grip on the wheel tightened. “I’m …” Silence reigned as she wondered what he’d reveal. “Distracted.”
Distracted? By her? An unfamiliar hope bubbled inside her. She waited, but he didn’t give her anything more.
“And two of Charli’s best ops, working together for a week or longer?” A week wasn’t a long time. Would they extend it if the Star Stabber wasn’t caught?
“Until the stalker is caught.” He cleared his throat and said quickly, “You’ll be posing as Beau’s latest love interest. While we’re in public. Beau goes through women so fast nobody will question that. The FBI wanted to send in their own ops, but Beau insisted on two private security specialists posing as his friend and girlfriend.”
A sour taste coated her mouth. There it was. “She did mention a fake dating situation.”
“Are you comfortable with that?” He glanced at her, and something in his voice said he would stick up for her. If she said no, he’d rewrite this op for her. As impressive as he was, Charli and Fitz would listen. Actually, they’d change it if Myra wasn’t on board or completely comfortable. Why had she agreed so quickly this morning without getting the details of who she’d be pretending to date?
“I don’t want to be alone with him,” she admitted.
“You won’t be. I’ll be there.” Ike nodded, very serious. She had the most incredible sensation pass through her. This man would go to war for her.
She startled and shook her head. Her dad had trained her to go to war for herself, not rely on anyone else.
“I’ll be fine,” she insisted, which she would. She didn’t need Ike or anyone else to fight for her. She could and would fight for herself. “We’ll just remind him this is a professional job.”
“I’ll remind him every hour if you need.” His left hand clenched into a tight fist.
“Thanks for that. I’m sure with all the women after Beau, he won’t care one way or another about me not being interested.”
Ike lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know about that.”
“If he tries a move on me, I’ll thump him.”
He glanced at her. She wished he would take off those sunglasses.
“That’s good you don’t want to be alone with him,” he said softly. “I’ll make sure he knows he can’t take any liberties with you.” He gave her a rare smile. “And we both know how easily you could thump him.”
“With both hands tied behind my back.”
“That’s right.”
She felt warm and fuzzy. Ike knew she could thump a muscular and talented star athlete and he seemed to appreciate it, not be intimidated by her or think she was too unfeminine.
The warm fuzzies was a new sensation, especially because the too-tough op next to her, who she’d always been intrigued with, was creating them.
